Reading 1 1 Jn 1:1-4
Beloved:
What was from the beginning,
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we looked upon
and touched with our hands
concerns the Word of life ?
for the life was made visible;
we have seen it and testify to it
and proclaim to you the eternal life
that was with the Father and was made visible to us?
what we have seen and heard
we proclaim now to you,
so that you too may have fellowship with us;
for our fellowship is with the Father
and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12
R. (12) Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are around him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R.Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Gospel Jn 20:1a and 2-8
On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
"They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we do not know where they put him."
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
Meditation: John 20:1-8
St. John
He saw and believed. (John 20:8)
Mary Magdalene was devastated. Jesus, whom she had believed to be the Messiah, had been arrested and crucified. She loved him so much that she returned to the tomb to anoint his body for a proper burial. But when she got there, she discovered that the tomb had been opened and that Jesus’ body was gone. All she saw was the burial cloth he had been wrapped in before he was laid in the tomb.
While Jesus was alive, Mary had heard him say more than once that he would die and rise again on the third day. But at that moment of grief, all she could focus on was his brutal death and ominous disappearance. She felt sure that his body had been stolen. All of Jesus’ promises, all the beauty of his teaching, faded from her memory. All she could see, all she could think about, was the empty tomb—and she lost her faith.
But when John entered the very same tomb and saw the very same burial cloth, he believed (John 20:8). Something clicked in his memory, and something else clicked in his heart. Unlike Mary, who could see only what was in front of her, John saw beyond the physical evidence and believed that God had done something very special. He might not have understood it completely, but he still believed. He still trusted. With the faith that he had, he waited patiently for more to be revealed. Deep down, he knew that Jesus wouldn’t let him down—and he was right.
Just two days ago, we celebrated the fact that the Messiah was born among us. At every Mass, we recall that this Messiah died for us and is now risen. Let these truths move you to be like John as you wait eagerly but patiently for Jesus to reveal himself to you today. And when your faith is weak, cry out to the Lord and tell him that you love him. Hold fast to the faith that you do have, and wait patiently for the Lord to reveal himself more fully to you. In the end, you’ll find great rewards from Jesus himself!
“Jesus, I want to believe in you more fully. Search my heart, and where there is any unbelief, fill me with belief.”
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